Saturday, 30 June 2007

“The temptation is to be so overwhelmed by these losses [of members, traditions, the way church has always been done, ministers, the loss of dreams and hopes for a church, the draining away of life etc] that our communities become numb and our energies drained by the struggle, either to restore that which has been irretrievably lost, or deny that these losses have occurred at all.

Hence, the need for a spirituality to help us both to cope positively with the death of irrelevant structures and pastoral methods and to move forward with risk and hope into the future.”

Friday, 29 June 2007

"The new era of mission in North American warrants the return of the CONGREGATION as the primal location of the study of theology at every level of theological education, including schools of theology..."

Patrick begins his essay:

“THE CONGREGATION HAS RETURNED TO THE STUDY OF THEOLOGY AND RELIGION.

The warrantsfor this return of the congregation include: (1) a major shift in scholarly canons for research; (2) the return of major premodern theological themes to theology, including and especially trinitarian theology and eschatology within an ecumenical and missional ecclesiology; (3) the growing sense that the moral life and ethical reflection come out of the particular, the local, the face-to-face engagement with the other in contrast to the abstract, universalistic moral theories of classic modernity; and (4) a growing sense of a new era of mission in North America and internationally. In this article, I explore a few themes of this fourth warrant, the growing sense of a new era of mission and its implications for the study of theology…”

It’s a useful article which highlights well, a number of the challenges and opportunities we find before us at the level of the local congregation; particularly as we work to reorientate these congregations for mission within their own post-Christendom contexts. Increasingly theology, theological reflection, and theological skills need to be recovered and grown in the midst of ordinary and everyday narratives, myths and symbols of our lives as congregations. We need to recover the practice of corporately inhabiting scripture in conversation with culture and our own stories as congregations.

I agree wholeheartedly but as I reflect (and have been for quite some time) on a local, significantly aging, mainline congregation, it seems easier said than done.

Have a read of Patrick’s essay and see what you think. You’ll find the PDF here. More from Patrick in the coming weeks.

Thursday, 28 June 2007

Paul writes - CBC, Canada recently produced a very informative radio broadcast (podcast available for the next three weeks – here) – How to Read Freud and Jung. I enjoyed (not uncritically) listening to it as I drove inter-city last night.

“Two giants of twentieth century psychology, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, mapped the unconscious in ways that still resonate today. IDEAS host Paul Kennedy interviews Josh Cohen and David Tacey, authors of books on Freud and Jung, respectively… [in the “how to read”] series.”

Also, from Australia, a very good introduction to Anabaptism (again for a limited time) - The Anabaptist Vision - " Early Anabaptists were persecuted during the Reformation by both Catholics and Protestants. Today, Anabaptism is being rediscovered as a theological vision which can inform the practice and faith of Christians from many different traditions." It features commentary from Chris Marshall from Victoria University, Wellington. Podcast here.

Wednesday, 27 June 2007

Alan writes – two of the waves of trust seem particularly pertinent to Christian faith and the future shape of the church. The first is – the inner wave of self trust.

Covey suggests that this first wave is where we ask ourselves ‘Am I credible?’ ‘Am I congruent?’ ‘Do I have integrity’, ‘Do I trust myself?’ and ‘Am I someone others can trust’.Covey argues that our answer to these questions determines the degree of trust we will have in all other spheres of life. If we can’t trust ourselves then who can?This is the root of the tree of trust and I would suggest the essence of our faith and ability to contribute to the shape and future of Christian communities.

“The good news”, he says, “is that every time we do make and keep a commitment to ourselves or set and achieve a meaningful goal, we become more credible. The more we do it, the more confidence we have that we can do it, that we will do it. The more we trust ourselves (p46).”

He quotes the third round of the 2005 Italia Masters tennis tournament in Rome to illustrate his point. In this match the champion, Andy Roddick, was playing against Fernando Verdasco from Spain:

“It was match point in favor of Roddick. When Verdasco hit his second serve, the line judge called the ball “out,” and the crowd began to cheer for Roddick. Verdasco moved toward the net to shake hands, as if the match were over. But Andy Roddick didn’t accept the point. Instead, he said that the ball was “in” and called the umpire’s attention to a slight indentation on the clay court which showed that the ball had landed on-not beyond – the line. Surprised, the umpire allowed Roddick to overrule him and the point was awarded to Verdasco.Everyone was amazed.. .” Though Andy Roddick went on to loose the game, “he gained something far greater. He gained credibility. He gained trust. How did this display of integrity give him credibility? Look at it this way: How are the umpires going to respond the next time Andy Roddick challenges a call? Most likely they will treat his challenge with the utmost respect. His reputation was known; his credibility will precede him.” (p60).

This kind of integrity and self trust is the core – the root of all other relationships and life. In the end as Albert Camus said, ‘integrity has no need of rules’.

Tuesday, 26 June 2007

Alan writes – I have appreciated Stephen Covey’s writing for a number of years. His seven and then eight habits are practical simple tools that help keep the important things at the forefront and the less important but nevertheless demanding in perspective. So when I saw this new book - The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything - I was immediately interested.The fact that ‘trust’ has been a significant issue in my context made me doubly interested.

But this is not a Stephen Covey book. It is written by his son who both draws on his Father’s approach and takes it further into the realm of the soft skill of personal and organizational trust.

“Simply put, trust means confidence. The opposite of trust –distrust- is suspicion (p5)” And as Gandhi is quoted as saying – “The moment there is suspicion about a person’s motives, everything he does becomes tainted.”

Trust, Covey argues, “is a function of two things: character and competence. Character includes your integrity, your motive, your intent with people. Competence includes your capabilities, your skills, your results, your track record. And both are vital (p30)”. To put it simply – ‘live your values and deliver results’.

Using the image of ripples in a pond the move from the centre outwards he talks of five waves of trust:

Wave 1: Self Trust- personal credibility

Wave 2: Relationship Trust – consistent behaviour

Wave 3: Organisational Trust – alignment

Wave 4: Market Trust – reputation

Wave 5: Societal Trust – contribution

In each sphere Covey points to this one thing that affects everything else. This one thing, which changes everything, is trust—the foundation of the most powerful governments, the most successful businesses, the most thriving economies, the most influential leaders, the greatest friendships, or the deepest loves. I will post some more from this interesting book over the next couple of days.

Sunday, 24 June 2007

Paul writes – Barb Orlowski is doing a Doctor of Ministry degree in Canada, and her research deals with how people have recovered after a painful church experience.

This is an important area of research, research that will undoubtedly help nourish and fund a re::imagining of church as the kind of community amongst whom people will be healed, are freed, and amongst whom they will become more fully human and alive. I’m hoping Barb will make a copy of her thesis available in due course. I’ve certainly heard some very very sad stories over the years. PLEASE take the time to complete a questionnaire and send it to Barb. It’s important stuff.

So that she can complete her research she needs people like you and I to fill out questionnaires that communicate our experience.

There are two questionnaires, one includes questions relating to the painful church experience and recovery; the second includes questions for pastors who have sought to help people in recovery.

Also, if you are a blogger who is willing to post these questionnaires on your blog please leave a comment here so Barb can get in touch with you.

If you could, and I'd encourage you to do so, email Barb. Her address is churchexitersq@telus.net. She will e-mail you the questionnaires and will also forward to you a consent form.

You can read a little of Barb’s background by downloading the PDF below (updated since this post first went up)

Life is a journey of faith and wonder, an odyssey of the heart… Mystic Street centers on the author’s spiritual experiences while pursuing his graduate degrees in theology. He demonstrates how lessons of the heart are not only learned inside the classroom, but especially outside.

You can read more about the book on the publisher’s website. My review of The Way of the Dreamcatcher can be found here. My review of Steve’s latest book will be on this blogsite in due course.

Thursday, 21 June 2007

Paul writes – David Fitch usefully reviews Kevin Vanhoozer’s essay which is the first in a number of essays contained in the recently published book, Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends. You’ll find an excerpt below and the full review here. It connects well, for me anyway, with a couple of recent posts by Simon Carey Holt (here, here and here). I shall look forward to reading Everyday Theology in due course.

“…To understand this about culture reiterates some common themes for me about the failure of evangelical church. First, we evangelicals have not engaged culture enough to either inhabit it or speak from within it. Too often we have withdrawn. Neither have we paid attention to our own culture of Christianity sufficiently to realize we are failing miserably at shaping the imaginations of our own people to allow them to see the way God is working in our own lives and the world around us. We have in a sense opted out of the work of culture formation…”

A download of the introduction, how to read this book, contents page and chapter 9 (Human 2.0: Transhumanism as a Cultural Trend) is available here. Stephen, they must have been thinking of you when they included a free download of chapter 9.

Wednesday, 20 June 2007

Paul notes – “In the exploration of the missiological implications of reductionism, I have stressed that the reduction of the gospel to individual salvation…is the gravest and most influential expression of the human drive for control…a reduced gospel trivializes God as it makes God into a manageable deity.”(Guder, The Continuing Conversion of the Church, 131)

Adam WalkerCleaveland reflects on the question, “What is gospel”…Well-supported by the Prof. Darrell Guder quote above (which is so sadly true), Adam makes some good points including this: “…The gospel is the uncontrollable & uncontainable in-breaking of God’s hopes and dreams for this world, and beyond…”

This is one of the enduring questions that we have to grapple with, hearing, interpreting and communicating “gospel” in our own time and contexts. The lines of interpretation and “application” are not often straight lines between past contexts and our own.

Tuesday, 19 June 2007

Paul writes – Ian Harris, writing in last weekends Dominion newspaper discussed myths under the heading “Exploring the relevance of myths and their influence in our lives.” It was an interesting column, drawing on the wonderful movie As it is in Heaven and Karen Armstrong’s little book A Short History of Myth.

Popularly, “myth” has been defined as a “made-up” story; a fiction, a fanciful tale. Armstrong, however, defines “myth” as “stories that enable us to place our lives in a larger setting, that reveal an underlying pattern, and give us a sense that, against all the chaotic and depressing evidence to the contrary, life has meaning and value.” Harris adds, “Myths, then, are not about opting out of the world, but living more intensely within it… they gave people their bearings within their culture.”

Armstrong again; a meaningful, a myth or narrative out of which we live, is one that “forces us to change our minds and hearts, gives us new hope, and compels us to live more fully”

Using this Armstrong’s descriptors, it becomes clear then, that we all live out of myths; we all live out of stories and narratives that both describe our world and help us name and orientate ourselves in that world. It might be the myths out of which business operates; the scriptural myth’s (i.e., stories and narratives) that gives a Jesus-following life “meaning and value. Some myths orientate us toward life, authenticity and what is deepest and most true about us; others don’t – the myth instead leaves us empty and life-less.

Within Christian ‘circles’ there are a range of competing myths, stories or ways of believing that attempt to orientate and settle us in the face of a lack of control, crises, chaos, uncertainty, unpredictability, transition anddiscontinuous change more generally. There is the evangelical myth, the post-evangelical, the radical orthodox, Catholicism, progressive-Protestantism etc, etc.

Armstrong’s extended-reflection on myth is helpful in enabling us to listen for, recognise, and interact with myth, not as a fanciful tale, but as the stories, narratives and scripts into and out of which we live. Stories that provide identity, meaning and purpose.